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Casualties of the NFL:

Solotaroff writes mainly of past greats, but what about the many lesser knowns who labored ungloriously and ended up in the same fix. Upshaw stinks with his crappy attitude. The smart players who got out before bodies and/or brains were scrambled......Emmit Smith and Barry Sanders come to mind ....got their share of criticism for "quitting", but more power to them. Sad sad story; another black eye for sports...... and Uphaw should be gelded without anesthetic.....oh maybe a little shot of Lidocaine

Karma is the key for Rockies play-in to playoffs

Anent the Padres. In April I predicted, privately, that they would finish third due to new manager, some aging members and few proven hitters. I picked Arizona and Dodgers ahead of them. They ended up much closer to first than I imagined and Bud Black could be considered Manager of the Year for what he did with this group. They were fun to watch, unpredictable, frustrating, inconsistent and all that. They should be better next year, but so will the others, so who knows where they'll finish. The Rockies deserved to win that game...it was a continuation of their last 2 weeks and I was not comfortable after Hairston's homer. I bled for Hoffman, I suspect the fatigue factor, emotional and physiological, caught up with him along with others in the lineup.....they had played a helluva number of games in a row, a lot of them on the road ....he is a class act as are several of the team from Black on down.

Japan's all-star speed eater suffers professional injury

Jockey Who Kicked Horse Faces Hearing

Consider the immediate aftermath. The jockey gets suspended, so for the time being he is out of work. The horse goes back to the barn, eats a hearty meal and in a week or so is back on the track. The suspension is p-r; the industry looks concerned/good, the track saves face. I still feel that disbarring the jockey is extreme and beyond the scope of the "crime". I hope and think the racing director will act accordingly considering Molina's reputation. Just for the record I speak from having family members in the racing game at the ground level. I am not a racing habitue, but am quite aware of it's sheen and it's warts.

Jockey Who Kicked Horse Faces Hearing

Fence put it well. "punished accordingly". Did the colt fall over? was there any permanent damage? will the colt race again? Come on....a 100 lb person kicks a 1500 lb horse in the belly and its going to be a disaster? Look at the guys long term record...been involved with equine humane rights etc. Disbar him? Absurd !! Every one who's ever worked around horses has probably smacked one occassionaly without intending or resulting in permanent harm. The nags will step on you, lean on you, kick you, bite you....reflexes light up and believe me, the horse doesn't lose. Let the punishment fit the crime; there were lots of witnesses, and everybody yells "poor horsey", when it's the jockey who got the worst of it.

Distaff winner in The Belmont Stakes

If you watch the race again, note that she was kept outside all the way because she doesn't like dirt in her face nor to be crowded. So she ran farther than all the other horses. Velasquez gave her a fabulous ride, perfectly suited to her style. She is some kind of filly, some kind of horse.

Try telling this one to the parents and coaches

There are two key words in sports that children are seldom taught because the pressure to win overshadows them....they are "play" and "game". When kids are allowed to play a game, life is a lot more fun.

An Interview with One of Baseball's Greatest.

Every ball player, in the minors or majors, should be requred to read this, especially the portion dealing with rules. Hell, that should apply to all professional athletes..they would learn that the old timers didn't need steroids or other supplements to juice up their bodies. They just used their talents and the bodies that God gave them. They weren't all goody two shoes; there were hell raisers, but the game had honor and they abided by that. And yes, I know about the Black Sox and it's repercussions, so don't rag me about that.

Barbaro Euthanized

Fungooli put it well...there was no ego in play or thoughts of big bucks to be gained; everybody who touched that horse felt an instant admiration and love; he worked with the medics, adapting to slings, hoists, pins, plates, casts...every tool used in his behalf. He was never tortured nor was any prolonging of his life causing misery....his responses to surgery were beyond belief, everyone admired his stamina, his desire to live and his smarts. The medical staff and owners monitored his well being from the very beginning and all agreed that when it became obvious that he was suffering, it was time to quit. My heart goes out to Dr. Richardson and his staff and to the owners and the trainer and Edgar Prado, the jockey who acted so quickly and humanely the instant of the accident....they all must be devastated. One cannot work with an animal of this temperment for such a long time without developing a bond that cannot be defined. I speak as a veterinarian who practiced for 50 years; it is a feelng that you have to live to appreciate. A little bit of you dies with every animal that succumbs under your care and you always wonder "could I have done more?" They are never "just animals" and Barbaro was one in a million, worthy of every ounce of love from those around him.

Dungy's true impact

Dungy and Smith, class acts for sure. The article left out the coaching tree of Don Coryell, the winningest coach in the combo of college and pro football, passed over year after year for H of F....for all his quirkiness he too was/is a class guy.

Hawaii QB says no to NFL.

If memorey serves me correctly , Jones was an interim head coach of SD Chargers and declined offer to continue, then returned to U of H where he had been on the coaching staff before. Smart move as those were the doldrum years of Chargers football (of which there were many). He has always been an offense minded coach....lots of airing it out, let 'er rip. With Glanville on the staff he now has some defense to balance his game. The Hawaiians have been a free wheeling bunch for generations....recall when Herman Weidemeyer(sp?) came to the coast and was QB at St Marys in the SF bay area. Whooooee.....squirmin' Herman. They've always been fun to watch, winning or losing. They didn't believe in single digit games.

Ready for a shocker?

I would have picked Brees for comeback player over anybody else after what he accomplished. He and Rivers are good friends, talk to each other frequently, both classy guys. I hated to see Brees get dumped by SD but have been more than a little bit pleased with Rivers and the whole team. Have been a charter Charger since when they left LA and seen a lot of good and great players, but LT is the best. I hope it's our year and there's still a lot of football to be played....by the entire team.

We're Going to Die! We're Going to Die! We're Going to Live!

Detroit Tigers Reach World You-Can't-Be-Serious

When I was a kid about half past eleven in '34, the first series I ever watched was on radio; our Jr High PE teacher let us listen on the speakers during his academic classes. Great memories; Tigers-Cards...a wild series, fan intervention, gas house gang, memorable nicknames (Dizzy, Daffy, Pepper, Ducky, Gabby, Leo the Lip). All series since have been descendants of that one. I sat behind home plate in San Diego in '84 and watched Trammel & Co snuff my Padres, but it was Detroit and actually not too painful considering the above recollection. (a shame that the citizens of Detroit went ballistic after the series, but as a local sportscaster said: "Detroit is equal to 2 Newarks"). So, I'm happy the Tigers made it and I hope it's against the Cards, just for old times sake......a kid's game played by men, bases still 90 feet apart, and the never ending thrill of the sound of the crack of a bat on a little white ball and nobody, players or spectators, remains motionless.

Hoffman breaks Lee Smith's All-Time saves mark

Smith and Hoffy should both eventually get voted in, but the voters work in mysterious ways. A sidelight to all the hoop-la immediately after the game was Pirate manager Jim Tracy, who had managed Hoffman in the minors when he was converted from shortstop to reliever, applauding from the top of the dugout steps as were several players. Tracy earlier in the game had quickly defused a potential rhubarb by pulling reliever Juan Perez who had just plunked Branyan high and tight. Branyan had belted a homer earlier to tie the game and Perez had just given up a homer to Bard. Tracy was aware of the importance of the game at the time, and as it turned out even more so at the end. His action during the game was immediate and wise. His actions afterward were classy. Baseball needs nore of his stripe.